KOLKATA/KHANDAGHOSH (EAST BURDWAN): Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday warned Trinamool workers that “many will be detained and arrested” starting Sunday night and urged them to be smart and careful.
She also vowed to resist BJP’s attempt “to break Bengal through delimitation”.BJP, she said, is trying to “harass and intimidate” Bengal’s voters, including her, because it “knows it will lose the assembly elections”.“Many will be detained and arrested before the polls (as part of an election strategy). Be careful. Use your brains. These operations will start tonight. Do not be intimidated… Remember, everything is under EC during this election – nothing is in our hands.
Be vigilant for another 15-21 days; then we will see, we will fight, and we will win again – and we will ask BJP how does it feel (to lose a poll)?” the CM said while addressing an election rally in East Burdwan’s Khandaghosh.“They (BJP) know they will lose the election. That is why they have changed everything here.”Referring to the delayed nod for her rally, CM Banerjee said, “Today, I was not given permission for this meeting.
The Prime Minister’s meeting can be permitted at short notice. Why won’t you give permission for my rally if the ground is not booked (by any other party)? Is this because of the new appointments? Remember, I respect all officers and work in a non-partisan way. Do not listen to anyone and get biased.”Flagging her opposition to the delimitation bill, which the Centre is likely to introduce in Lok Sabha this month, she said, “They are conspiring to break Bengal into three parts through delimitation.
Then NRC will be implemented. People will be sent to detention camps. In Assam, out of 19 lakh people who were sent to detention camps, 13 lakh were Hindus and 6 lakh were Muslims. We will never allow anyone to set up detention camps in Bengal.
”Banerjee described the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll as “destruction” and “the biggest scam”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she said, was voted to office for a third term by people who had their names on the 2024 electoral roll.
“Is everyone an infiltrator?” she asked, referring to those who had voted in the last Lok Sabha elections but have been excluded from the roll after the SIR.Speaking about harassment faced by women, Banerjee said, “Women are being frisked (by security forces). Yesterday, (actor) Kanchan Mullick’s wife was harassed. Women’s bags are being checked and their personal items taken out. That’s insulting to them. A few days back, in my Bhowanipore area, an elderly lady… was harassed on the pretext of checking her belongings. Cars can be checked, but why bags? This is obscene. Women will complain if you engage in such behaviour.”
